Tioman Trip: Excitement turned into Frustration

 Insufficient life jackets, improper evacuation procedures and overloading contributed to the deaths and injuries suffered in 2007.

 

What is it going to take for the authorities to wake up from their slumber and do their jobs? Are they waiting for another 7 people to die, or maybe 15 or 20 people this time? Malaysian authorities are known for acting only AFTER a tragedy happens. 

Nirmala Arunaselam

 

Tioman has often been touted as a great tourist attraction, on par with overseas holiday destinations. Adverts peddling the appeal and lure of the island are aplenty. But for my family and me, what was supposed to be an enjoyable and relaxing Merdeka weekend getaway on the island turned frustrating and traumatic on our trip home.

 

Mind you, Tioman island is a wonderful tourist destination and has its own quirky charm if you like a simple, laid-back relaxing-in-the-sun environment. It is also known as a divers’ paradise and tons of people come to dive and snorkel. HOWEVER the facilities and services were a complete and total letdown.

 

We were to return home on Sunday, September 2, 2012 after a nice, relaxing weekend on the island. The ferry (Bluewater Express company) pick-up was at 10:30am and it was expected to be jam-packed with people. We decided to go to the jetty half an hour early so that we could wait at the front of the line to ensure that we get a seat on the ferry. What we discovered was that there was no line, no queue system and basically no system whatsoever for boarding the ferry.

 

So there we were waiting for the ferry from 10am. 10:30 passed, then 11am, 11:30am and still no ferry in sight. It finally arrived at 1pm. You can just imagine the crowd pushing to get on board. I had to board the ferry first with my two young children while my husband went to the back of the ferry to load the bags. Here I was with 2 small kids – holding onto one and carrying the other – and people were pushing me from the back, left and right. My temper started to rise and I had to tell them to stop pushing.

 

After boarding the ferry (Bestari 2), I noticed that there were people already on board – obviously picked up from the earlier stops. Usually this is not the case as Salang is usually the first pick-up point, but due to the delay I guess that they must have picked up passengers from the other stops while dropping others off.

 

I hastily tried to find 4 seats but was unsuccessful. I found two seats and left my 7 year old there while I went to look for another two. I finally found one other empty seat. Suddenly I realized that the ferry was moving. I looked out the window and saw my husband still waiting at the jetty, after not succeeding in loading our bags as the boatmen would not take any more bags on board. He called my handphone and told me that they were not letting anymore people on the ferry as it was overloaded already.

 

I quickly ran to those in charge and asked them to stop and go back for him. I spoke to 2 people, one of whom told me that my husband had to wait for the next ferry which might come in about another hour (not guaranteed). After I raised my voice, the other person finally agreed to radio the skipper and ask him to stop the ferry.

 

Imagine how I had to frantically negotiate with the boatmen to turn back for my husband while handling 2 girls aged 4 and 7 who were sitting in different sections of the ferry. Initially I thought they were going back for my husband but that was not the case. My husband called and said that the ferry was not turning back. I flipped out and almost yelled at the person in charge. I told them there was no way I was going to travel on the ferry for 3 hours with 2 small kids while my husband was left behind at the jetty. I insisted, “Let him on or let me off”. I believe most of the passengers were staring at me but I was so furious I could not care less if I was upsetting anyone.

 

Well, the ferry finally turned around and my husband came on board. All this took quite a few minutes. For your information, out of nearly 80-100 people who were waiting for the ferry, more than half were not allowed on board and were thus left behind. We later overheard the boatman saying that this was the last ferry out for now.What was the fate of those left waiting at the jetty? I shudder to think if I was one of those left behind.

 

That the ferry was overcrowded is an understatement. There were people standing, sitting on the steps, squatting near the toilets as well as bags and stuff everywhere on the floor, steps and compartments. I saw only a few life jackets, and I wonder how many rules and regulations were broken that day.

 

Remember the Tioman ferry tragedy in 2007 where 7 people died? Ref: Ferry tragedy trials postponed - Nation | The Star Online

 

5 years have passed and I wonder if the authorities are waiting for another tragedy to occur before any action is taken to enforce the regulations meant to safeguard passengers. Or has integrity been thrown out at sea with authorities closing one eye so that the ferry company can rake in more money at the expense of passengers’ safety.

 

Back to my story, when reaching what we thought was Mersing jetty, we were told that it was instead heading towards Tanjung Gemuk as it was low tide at Mersing and the ferry could not go there. Buses were supposed to be waiting at Tanjung Gemuk to transfer passengers to Mersing. 

 

The question here is, if they already knew that it would be low tide at Mersing after 2pm (as was told to us), why did the ferry not come on time at 10:30am to fetch passengers and make it back on time to Mersing by 1:30pm?And what about all the other passengers left stranded at Salang jetty?

 

The obvious answer could be that the ferry company was making sure that profits were maximized by overloading the ferry and cramming in as many people as possible (we paid for 4 tickets but only got 3 seats).

 

This is not my first time to Tioman and each time I board the ferry from Mersing, I pray for a smooth and safe trip to the island and back. On almost every trip, the ferry is overloaded and waiting for a disaster to happen.  Ref: A Tioman disaster waiting to happen - Malaysiakini

 

What is it going to take for the authorities to wake up from their slumber and do their jobs? Are they waiting for another 7 people to die, or maybe 15 or 20 people this time? Malaysian authorities are known for acting only AFTER a tragedy happens. 

 

What do the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Tourism have to say about this? Why all the hype about local tourist destinations when they can’t even enforce basic rules to ensure the safety of passengers on ferries? Ministry officials should experience first-hand waiting for delayed ferries and suffering the congestion of overloaded ferries. 

 

They should also try using the public toilets, especially at Mersing jetty. There was only one female toilet and one male toilet catering to around 120-150 people. To make matters worse the lights were not working. Imagine the STENCH!!! I am sure foreigners who visit Tioman will go home and discourage others from visiting the place.

 

Does the ferry company, Bluewater Express, have a conscience? What they did that day smacks of greed, recklessness and unprofessionalism. They are willing to put so many lives at risk, just to make a few extra bucks. Aren’t human lives more precious than dollars and cents? 

 

I don’t expect miracles overnight,  but I do hope that more people come forward and voice out their views and opinions, especially where safety and health issues are concerned. Only then will we see a change for the better in the tourism and other public sectors. 

 

I urge the authorities to take action and be proactive instead of reactive. Safety should not be taken lightly. Ensure that ferry operators act professionally and enforce safety regulations before another disaster happens!!!